Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Conway-Walsh for the question. She is correct; the Government decision this week allocated an additional €32 million to HEIs for the provision of, as she said, 667 additional units. As the Deputy probably knows, they are in Maynooth, Galway and Limerick. I can come back on some of those details in a moment.

My Department has been engaged intensively in examining issues with student accommodation in the context both of the overall pressures within the general residential rental market, which are posing significant difficulties for students, and the escalation in building costs that has slowed the construction of purpose-built student accommodation by publicly-funded higher education institutions. Earlier this year I established a dedicated unit for student accommodation in my Department and received the endorsement of the Cabinet committee on housing to rapidly explore measures that might assist. A dual-track approach has been adopted through a concentration, in the short term, on the small number of institutions where planning permission is in place and plans, though stalled, are at an advanced stage. Meanwhile, wider planning is being initiated in order that a broader range of project options can be developed and considered next year. At the Government meeting this week I received endorsement on the proposed overall approach and specific approval for the three projects I referenced.

The approach adopted will see the State assist with the cost of building student accommodation so as to ensure increased availability and promote greater access, in particular for priority student groups identified in the National Access Plan, which was published in August. At the heart of the new policy is promotion of the delivery of student accommodation and provision of resources to ensure that those most in need are prioritised. The Government has agreed to a short-term activation plan to stimulate the supply of affordable accommodation. The immediate priority is to deliver on projects where planning permission already exists but where developments have not proceeded due to increasing construction costs. Support for three such proposals is being made available in respect of the University of Limerick, Maynooth University and the University of Galway and this proposal could deliver up to 700 additional beds. These are in addition to the 1,190 additional beds delivered this year or on track for delivery in 2023. In addition, we are continuing to engage with the other institutions that have full planning permission, as the Deputy referred to.

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